The Parliament of Limbs
Overview The Parliament of Limbs is a collective body of Totems, the former Avatars of The Red, a force that connects and pervades all animal life in the universe. These Totems are now elevated from their mortal forms to become immortal beings of incredible power, on the level of the divine. They represent the interests of all animal life, humans and most sapient lifeforms included. While many choose to reside in the Red itself, there are some Totems among the Parliament that choose to live on Earth, and the number is increasing as Earth becomes a focal point for so many events on the horizon. Those that live on Earth usually have shadowy goals and most of them manipulate the lives of mortals like chess pieces on a board in order to shape events in their favor, often in opposition of another Parliament member's agenda. Long ago, the Parliament had agreed to avoid such conflict by each member who sought to play such games restrict themselves to a single continent but as the centuries went on and more Totems came to reside upon Earth, the old territorial agreement fell to the wayside and conflicts began to occur more frequently. The Parliament of Limbs has taken a particular interest in the Pacific Northwest since the turn of the century. Rumor is that their true avatar, the Totem which shall lead their Parliament for the next several eons, is to be found there. Known Members * Shepherd: A member of the Parliament who rarely comes to Earth, preferring to remain among the Totems of the Red to act as the spokesman for the much older Totems who have become too arcane for mortal comprehension, even among the Avatars of the Red. Shepherd finds the games of the others to be quite tedious and does his best to coax them out of such behavior. He often acts as a mediator in their disputes, though rarely does his counsel have much lasting effect. * Ignatius: An ancient member of the Parliament who, upon learning of some of the Parliament who sought to usurp the True Avatar of the Red's upcoming Reckoning, chose to forsake much of its own power, as it was intrinsically tied to the Red, to come to Earth in a reborn form to seek out the True Avatar and protect them from the machinations of the Great Game. * Aka: The eldest of the Totems which reside on Earth, though Aka does also split her time between Earth and the Red, acting as a messenger between the two when needed. Her winged and abstract appearance is likely the source of many ancient accounts of angelic visitations when the Angels were described as creatures of inhuman appearance. * Manmoth: This member of the Parliament calls himself the "savage hunter" and "survivalist extraordinaire." He also claims to be the original God of Hunting, having taught the first predators so long ago. He resembles a large bipedal mammoth, sans trunk, and travels outdoors most of the time. He does not keep territory himself as he does not play the games and feels free to travel throughout Earth's wilderness. Despite his lack of interest in the games, he will often visit the Den of Delights to enjoy a hearty meal and share the company of his fellow Totems. * Gothano: The least humanoid of all the Earthbound Totems, Gothano is a cloak-like mass of hair and tentacles. He rarely and does so quietly when he feels the need. Gothano's domains are secrets and hidden knowledge, and he claims the ocean depths for his territory. * Chi-You: Though his true appearance resembles a bull, Chi-You prefers to sport the skin of a human male of Chinese origin. Wearing this skin, he once ruled ancient China as an emperor of myth, until he mysterious vanished. The Parliament considers him a victim of the Great Game, but occultists have never been able to explain his fate and until we can be certain he is truly dead we should never assume his disappearance is anything but an elaborate long play in the Games of Limbs. * Rat King: Traditionally the Totem of Europe, this mysterious figure hails from a dimension apart from Earth and the Red, land known as the Hesse. He became connected to the Red when he took possession of a magical red flute which gave him control over living beings and tried to use this for good but was betrayed by self-serving persons and driven to the occasional unspeakable act. His mastery over the flute and the sacrifices he made earned him a place among the Parliament and when he migrated to Earth, his domain continued to grow steadily. Now called the Rat King, he has ambitions to expand his domain. Most recently he has been sighted in the Pacific Northwest which may indicate he seeks to find and influence the True Avatar before their reckoning. * Toad Baron: The Toad Baron is a hedonistic and self-indulgent member of the Parliament, rejoicing in getting others to live hedonistically as well. Though he does participate in the Great Game, he also runs the Den of Delights where all members of the Parliament, Totems of any kind, Avatars of the Intrinsic Fields, and even mortals are welcome to visit as a safe place on neutral ground. The only requirement for the Den of Delights is to honor the rules of hospitality and enjoy yourself. The Den of Delights is in a pocket dimension accessed from a number of Door of Destination and the Toad Baron claims North America as his domain but mostly keeps to the American southeast... though his agents have been spotted in the Pacific Northwest as of late. * Jagwar: In the absence of Chi-You, this jaguar goddess seems to be the warrior of the Parliament. Many texts refer to her as a "valiant warrior of strict honor and swift justice," and tends to be blunt and straightforward in her opinions. This often brings her into conflict with her younger sister of the Parliament, whom she has deep contempt for. She despises what she sees as cowardice. Jagwar carries a macuahuitl with her wherever she goes. * Kitsune: The youngest of the true Totems, Kitsune is a cunning trickster and sorceress whose power should not be underestimated. She is perhaps the most ambitious player of the Great Game and many suspect she had something to do with Chi-You's disappearance. She currently lives on Earth in a mortal form, disguised as a great sorceress and the wife of the Naht of the Safinat Dakhma, Oroku Saki. Rumor is that she plans to find the true avatar and usurp their power so that she herself will become the undisputed leader of the Parliament.Dinkley Files: The Parliament of Limbs Trivia and Notes Trivia * Rat King is a Fable. The Hesse is a territory within the Homelands. Notes * The Parliament of Limbs is a composite organization with Pantheon from the TMNT (the IDW comics). Links and References Category:Earth-27 Lore